Abstract
This work describes some interactions between lepidopteran larvae and braconid parasitoids on a group of plants at two sites. There was no significant difference in parasitoid diversity between the sites (Shannon index, p<0.05), and similarity was 62.5%, estimated through Sorensen's index. The diversity of hosts was also not different (p<0.05), but the similarity of host diversity was only 28.5%. This suggests that the parasitoids have strategies for maintaining similar reproduction rates, population densities and communities in areas with different potential hosts.
Braconidae; diversity; community; Lepidoptera; similarity
Comments on plant-herbivore-parasitoid interactions in two cerrado areas of Southern Brazil
Astrid CaldasI; Fernando de C. PassosII
IDepartamento de Biologia Animal e Vegetal, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, 20559-900 Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
IIPós-graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal de São Carlos. 13569-905 São Carlos, São Paulo, Brasil
ABSTRACT
This work describes some interactions between lepidopteran larvae and braconid parasitoids on a group of plants at two sites. There was no significant difference in parasitoid diversity between the sites (Shannon index, p<0.05), and similarity was 62.5%, estimated through Sorensen's index. The diversity of hosts was also not different (p<0.05), but the similarity of host diversity was only 28.5%. This suggests that the parasitoids have strategies for maintaining similar reproduction rates, population densities and communities in areas with different potential hosts.
Key words: Braconidae, diversity, community, Lepidoptera, similarity
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. The authors thank Dr. Angélica Maria P.M. Dias for the identification of braconids and for constant and invaluable advise to FCP during senior thesis, and Dr. Manoel Martins Dias Filho for identification of the herbivores whenever possible. Gerardo Lamas and R.K. Robbins made comments on the manuscript. The Instituto de Florestas and SEMA of São Paulo state allowed the project to be developed at the areas. This work was partially funded by a FAPESP undergraduate fellowship to FCP (87/1170-0), under the sponsorship of Dr. Angélica Maria P.M. Dias.
Recebido em 31.VIII.1995; aceito em 10.IX.1996.
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Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
14 July 2009 -
Date of issue
1996
History
-
Accepted
10 Sept 1996 -
Received
31 Aug 1995